She needs a fortune to save her family. He needs a shield to guard his heart. Their bargain is the scandal of the season.Elara Vance is no delicate flower. To save her siblings from the brink of ruin, she steps out of the shadows of the ballroom and onto a moonlit terrace with a desperate plan: Blackmail the most powerful man in England.Julian Thorne, the "e;Iron Duke"e; of Ravenworth, is as cold as he is commanding. Jilted and cynical, he has built a fortress around his emotions that no debutante has ever breached. But when a sharp-tongued wallflower corners him with a threat to his reputation, he doesn't call the watch—he offers her a contract.